School has been out for several weeks, so Michigan State Kurt Schneider, who has a double major in media arts and marketing, is looking forward to summer work. On his agenda is a business internship at Sherwin-Williams Co. in Sterling Heights as he prepares for a career when he graduates.

While his past internships had been media arts related, he’s going a different route this time. “I’m trying out everything to see what career path I want to take,” said Schneider, from Lake Orion. “Mostly nowadays, internships are essential to find a career.”

But first things first, because also on his agenda is a date at the NCAA track and field championships June 11-14 in Eugene, Ore. He’s one of 24 collegians who made the cut for the decathlon, a 10-event discipline to be held over two days.

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“I’m just beyong excited to be able to compete in Eugene,” Schneider said. “It’s the one place in the United States where they really care about track and field. I’m looking forward to the atmosphere and the fans. I know it’s going to be a lot of fun.”

With school out, Schneider has been mostly an athlete, concentrating the last few weeks on competitions and practices. “It’s definitely awesome for the most part, going to pratice and not having to worry about grades,” said Schneider. “Not much to do at night, it gets pretty boring at times (but) you still have to stay in that competitive mindset.”

Indeed, the decathlon is no joke - 10 events, five each day and one event right after the other. The fatigue factor, both mentally and physically, is high. “It’s very tiring,” Schneider said. “Probably the worst part of the entire decathlon, you wake up the next morning and you’ve got five more events to do. Once you cross the finish line after the 1,500 (last event) ... the feeling of accomplishment you get after you do that far outweighs how tired your are.”

Indeed, decathletes are a unique group who test the limits of the human body in the spirit of competition. “I think because it’s such a challenging event, you’re out there for two days with these guys, you can’t help but get to know them,” Schneider said. “It’s like a brotherhood, even though we don’t see each other for the vast majority of the year. The competition is intense and you want to beat everybody. (But) everyone is very supportive of each other. There’s camaraderie out there that’s pretty cool.”

Schneider didn’t come to the decathlon, the decathlon came to him. In fact, coming out of Oakland Christian School, he was recruited as a high jumper.

“I was kinda mediocre at track until my senior year,” Schneider said, “then I got more focused into it.”

To be sure, his newfound attention to track and field was apparent. He jumped 6-feet-10 1/2 in the high jump to set a Division 4 state meet record, and earned state medals in the 110-meter high hurdles and the intermediate hurdles. “I only (long jumped) once in high school (19-6) and when I told my college coach, he started laughing. He knew what was going to happen.”

Indeed, on the college level, Schneider has gone 24-feet-1 in the long jump. He’s done 11.05 in the 100, 50.58 in the 400, 14.74 in the high hurdles and has cleared 7-feet-1/2 in the high jump, all respectable efforts in decathlon terms. Schneider, though, had to learn to pole vault - he’s gone 14-feet-9 - and get acquainted with throwing events (shot put, discus and javelin).

That’s where he spends the bulk of his training, concentrating on events he’s had to learn to master. “You’ve got to be fearless to pole vault,” he said. But he’s improved in each event along the way. In fact, Schneider has done only three decathlons and has improved in each outing.

“I think as most things in life, it becomes easier the more you do it,” said Schneider. His best score of 7,441 points, done at the Big Ten championships, is more than 500 points better than his first decathlon effort. “Conditions at Big Tens were pretty poor, it rained pretty heavy both days and my hamstring was giving a little trouble,” said Schneider, who anticipates a better performance at nationals.

He has the 18th highest score of the 24 competitors, of which only three have surpassed 8,000 points.

Schneider competed in the high jump last week at the NCAA East Regional and placed 14th, two places out of qualifying for the nationals. “My goal was to try and qualify in the open high jump as well (and) I came pretty close,” said Schneider, who cleared 6-10 3/4. “Thirteen guys cleared 7-feet in just the East, definitely an intense competition.”

And, an intense competition is what he expects as he gets himself prepared. “I think it’s definitely going to benefit me that I made it to nationals indoors,” said Schneider, who competed in the heptathon last March. “I believe I’m more prepared mentally. As hard as it is physically, it’s more difficult mentally. It’s about getting yourself in the right state of mind.”

While his short term goal is “placing in the top eight and scoring points for my team,” his long term plan may include more decathlons. In some events, he’s right there with the world’s best.

“I definitely have the potential to score a lot higher than I have, I’ve crunched all my PRs in the decathlon and I’m well into the 8,000s and that’s competitive at the world level. I just need to decide if I want to make that commitment or not.”

Either way, the decathlon could be another option for a career path for Schneider, just like the others for a gifted athlete.

About the Author

Marvin Goodwin has written stories and columns for The Oakland Press since 1978, and he covers boxing, cross country, wrestling, track, and feature topics. He lives in Pontiac. Reach the author at marvin.goodwin@oakpress.com
or follow Marvin on Twitter: @MarvinGoodwin.